Downtown Eugene


Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Organic increase in density

Many City planners possess a strong desire for increased density. I resist it, not because density is bad, but because the push for it, from the top, is enormously destructive. In Eugene's situation, it's wasteful to tear down empty buildings, when people are homeless, and activities cannot find space; and it's especially wasteful to tear down occupied buildings just because they don't meet some ideal. When there are hundreds of thousands of empty square feet, and massive craters in the ground, it's immoral to consider polishing the morphology of space that currently provides real benefit to real people.

That said -- because it is the most important thing -- this is how a humane, organic approach leads to an increase in density:

1. Let's start with the people and organizations already downtown.
2. Let's give them the security to continue their operations downtown.
3. Let's encourage them to expand their offerings and improve their operations downtown.
4. Let's encourage them to build upon their existing alliances, draw more activity downtown, and initiate more cooperative relationships, with the largest possible number of citizens, so that the largest number of people have an interest in making downtown more alive.
5. Let's offer them founding membership in a Downtown Collective of Tenants, charged with filling the remaining space downtown.
6. As the empty space is 'programmed' with people, events, businesses and organizations, the new tenants are also offered membership in the collective.
7. The collective's success is monitored by the City Council. Measurement and evaluation of participation, visits, and self-sufficiency are important.
8. The collective manages properties downtown bought by the City, placed into a trust for this self-management process.
9. The collective is given financial assistance to increase life downtown.
10. The collective is charged with concentrating on the biggest problems first: they must determine these priorities, and address them. For example, the empty storefronts and the holes in the ground are among the top spatial priorities. But solutions to these problems should also address the most pressing needs of people, including the social and environmental issues of our time.
11. When the spaces are filled, and the energy is high, such that growth is accelerating, the collective will have the power to incrementally make density increases in the buildings downtown. But, it's very important, for organic growth, that the life, the energy, drives the increase in density through new construction. Creating the density first, as a top-down plan, will result in dead, purposeless space.

4 Comments:

At 7:22 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

louis vuitton outlet, christian louboutin outlet, ugg boots, jordan shoes, tiffany jewelry, longchamp outlet, chanel handbags, michael kors, nike free, louis vuitton, longchamp, oakley sunglasses, cheap oakley sunglasses, air max, nike air max, polo ralph lauren outlet, burberry, kate spade outlet, tiffany and co, louboutin outlet, uggs on sale, ray ban sunglasses, prada handbags, sac longchamp, nike outlet, gucci outlet, louis vuitton, nike roshe run, longchamp pas cher, ugg boots, louis vuitton, polo ralph lauren outlet, ray ban sunglasses, nike free, ray ban sunglasses, oakley sunglasses, oakley sunglasses, tory burch outlet, nike air max, replica watches, louis vuitton outlet, ralph lauren pas cher, louboutin shoes, louboutin pas cher, oakley sunglasses, longchamp outlet, louboutin, air jordan pas cher, prada outlet, replica watches

 
At 7:37 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

new balance pas cher, vans pas cher, ralph lauren uk, burberry outlet online, coach outlet, kate spade handbags, lacoste pas cher, michael kors outlet, nike air max, burberry, oakley pas cher, hogan, nike free run uk, michael kors outlet, replica handbags, true religion jeans, michael kors, true religion jeans, hollister, converse pas cher, michael kors outlet, nike air max, timberland, mulberry, air force, ray ban pas cher, michael kors, michael kors outlet, hollister pas cher, ugg boots, sac guess, true religion outlet, nike blazer, true religion jeans, ugg boots, michael kors outlet, north face, michael kors, coach outlet, north face, nike roshe, lululemon, abercrombie and fitch, vanessa bruno, ray ban uk, coach purses, hermes, tn pas cher, michael kors, nike air max

 
At 7:44 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

valentino shoes, babyliss, p90x workout, ferragamo shoes, reebok shoes, nike roshe, nike trainers, bottega veneta, new balance, ray ban, vans, nike air max, nfl jerseys, baseball bats, chi flat iron, louboutin, lululemon, oakley, herve leger, north face outlet, nike huarache, ralph lauren, abercrombie and fitch, asics running shoes, nike air max, beats by dre, jimmy choo shoes, converse outlet, soccer shoes, celine handbags, soccer jerseys, giuseppe zanotti, hollister, mcm handbags, vans shoes, timberland boots, gucci, insanity workout, wedding dresses, longchamp, hollister, north face outlet, hollister, birkin bag, instyler, mac cosmetics, converse, ghd, iphone cases, mont blanc

 
At 11:27 AM, Blogger khairy said...

شركة نقل اثاث بالرياض
نقل اثاث بالرياض
شركة نقل عفش بالرياض
نقل عفش بالرياض
شركات نقل اثاث بالرياض
شركات نقل اثاث بالرياض

 

Post a Comment

<< Home